The Temple

[Minibit]

For this exercise, we're going to focus not on the physical attributes of a temple, but the culture and reasonings behind them

We'll start by creating a temple, (deciding what it looks like/ how it's shaped) and then start explaining it, asking WHY for everything, and explain the reasoning

If there is a stone altar; why stone? Why not wood or clay or brick or metal? Is the material important?

If there are lots of windows; is it because natural lighting is important? If so, why is it important? Or is there a belief about glass, that spirits can pass through it, or that Gods cannot see those in darkness?

If there is certain images or iconography, why those images? For example, if a deity is perceived as a goddess, why are they perceived as feminine? There have been female gods of war and chaos and hunting in the past, so try not to restrict deities to traditional gender roles

Some questions to start you off; please try to think of more for your specific temple!

BASIC DESIGN (what it looks like inside and out)

THINGS TO EXPLAIN
Temple's Name
Temple's Location
All items such as statues, altars, paintings, tools, etc.
Any residents who live there; their roles and why they don't live in a house
Any animals kept on premises
Any particularly selected plants

OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER
How do you tell it's a temple from the outside?
What security from vandals and thieves does the temple have?
What acts of worship are conducted there?
How many rooms and their uses

 

[MachinaWriter]

BASIC DESIGN (what it looks like inside and out)
Set on the side of some of a mountain is the Star Temple. It's architecture is a strange mixture of tradition and technology. Red, curved tiling on arched, curving rooftops. The impossible angle of the ancient stone and wood structure on the face of this mountain is supported by energy platforms attached to the face of the mountain side. It is the oldest temple in the world. Hundreds of years ago, the mountain cliff it was built on began to corrode and fall apart beneath it. Technology has allowed it to stay supported in it's original location, even providing hovering platforms for the many gardens and places of meditation, bridged from the original structure by rope bridges. This eclectic mix of modern and ancient makes Star Temple unlike anything in the world. From it's great space on the mountainside, reachable only by flight, you can get the most stunning view of the jungle beneath and it the mountain tops around it, seeing even as far as the sea of this large island far of the Azure Empire's coast. Most don't come this far, so the monks and priestesses who tend to the world's oldest temple are left well enough alone. The only people other than themselves they ever see are the people of the small town at the coast of the island.


THINGS TO EXPLAIN

Star Temple

On the side of a mountain on the island of Waka'juu.

There are no statues in the Star Temple. But there are the murals. If you don't fly up to the Temple, you must climb. Taking treacherous paths across the mountainside, impossible jumps, and narrow gaps. Reaching the Star Temple's platform, a chunk of earth and stone supported by energy platforms to keep it attached to the face of the mountain. A few trees block your view, as you walk the stone staircase towards the unseen temple. Along the path, there are these markers. Stone towers, about as tall as an adult, with a hollow in the front from which an everglowing fire burns, lighting your path. Because of the trees here, and the mountain to your side, the area of Star Temple is often caught in shade for most of the day. The stone path, though obviously old, is well taken care of. No roots or weeds snag your feet as you follow the lights beside the path. Soon enough, the Star Temple comes into view. It's built into the mountain side itself. The curved angle of the roof, arching at each corner, is much like the architecture of your own village. But here, the door is different. It is heavy, made of stone. You can tell that once, it was very ornate. Only faded curves on the stone face hint at what was once shown there, long ago washed away by wind and rain in the mountains. As you walk up, the doors open on their own. In ancient times, the doors remained open all the time, except for the two days of the Great Storm. It would be closed using a system of ropes and pulleys and several strong monks. Today, technology has allowed the doors to open and close automatically. This protects the ancient murals within. As you enter the main room, you see them across all of the walls. The architecture itself framing each part of an epic narrative. The original History of Constellations. The greatest epic in the world, from which all great nations have been formed. But most of the picture in each of them has faded away long ago. The ones in the first room, with it's high ceiling, with wooden beams supporting it, are completely worn away. Smudges of faded colour on stone walls. What looks like a well is in the center of the first room, emitting a soft orange glow. Similar glowing lights come from lights over every arched frame on the wall. Walking into each room, you see they are similar. The further in you go, the easier it becomes to see the murals. They tell stories, of great accomplishments. It creates a web of rooms. In between are barracks like rooms for the monks and priestesses. Eventually, no matter which route you go, you end up in the central room. A great circle-like room with many faces. The images here have long ago faded to nearly nothing. You can't identify most of the figures and actions. But they aren't the highlight. Above you is now a great, crystal dome, from which you can see the sky. At night, the brilliant constellations whose story this temple tells.

There are many monks and priestesses who live here. Many are caretakers, training their minds, trying to understand the history of stars and protecting the place from ruin. A temple as old as this one is in constant danger of fading away completely. These monks and priestesses keep this from happening. Some of them, however, also train to protect it from physical harm. It's an ancient tradition, but the pu'alimana have protected Star Temple since it's origins. Magic users, trained in the arts of combat.

There are many monkeys and birds on the grounds of the Temple, but none within it.


OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER
How do you tell it's a temple from the outside?
Hundreds of pagoda structures jutting out from the side of a mountain on a distant island. And it's one of the oldest structures in the world, and it IS the oldest temple. Add in floating gardens and meditation grounds and all these monks and priestesses walking around, and there's no denying that this is a temple.

What security from vandals and thieves does the temple have?
Well, there's really only two ways of getting up there. Flying, or climbing up a dangerous mountainside. Plus, there are sensors all over the place, and the many monks and priestesses, and then the highly dangerous pu'alimana.

What acts of worship are conducted there?
Meditation, the cleaning and protection of ancient relics, studying the histories and discussing the interpretations.

How many rooms and their uses
There are at least two hundred rooms in this temple. Most of them are only seen within the mountain itself. They tend to be shaped like octagons, with murals painted on each wall. Other rooms are rectangular, and tend to be living quarters, libraries, dining areas, etc. These rooms often jut out of the mountainside and are the many strange pagoda like structures you see all around the sides of the mountain, supported today by energy platforms. Some energy platforms support nothing more than gardens, or meditation grounds and these float out from the face of the mountain, accessible by rope bridges that connect them to the many pagodas on the mountain side.

 

[MachinaWriter]

Yay~! That was fun. Thanks for the exercise Minibit!

 

[Ruko]

How do you come up with so perfect exercises? They pretty much cover everything that I've left out of my world. Thanks :D